The Press Democrat at Home held a free virtual event last Thursday night, “Women in Conversation at Home: The Joy of Pets”, which went live on The Press Democrat’s YouTube channel at 7 p.m. and was hosted by Sonoma State University Lecturer and multimedia producer, reporter, and team ambassador for the San Francisco Giants, Amy Gutierrez.

Gutierrez was joined by Chef Duskie Estes from Farm to Pantry, Lynette Lyon from The Lyon Ranch, Shirley Zindler from Dogwood Animal Rescue, and Canine Companions Hearing Dog Recipient, Patricia Rutolo, in a conversation on how much meaning and happiness animals can bring into our lives along with stories on how they have provided much needed comfort during the pandemic.    

Over the course of the last year, there were large booms in pet adoptions seen all across the world as people found themselves spending much more time at home, alone.

Zindler, who is the founder and president of Dogwood Animal Rescue, a non-profit animal-rescue organization located in Santa Rosa, said, “We’ve worked really hard over the past year to try to help people. You know we need to both be safe when doing adoption visits with covid and also to help people, you know, fill that void that we’re filling when we’re not out doing all the things that we used to do. And that’s where animals are such a gift, they’re just a gift to us to be able to be our companions and our friends and our entertainment and so much more… It’s a strange time in most of our lives and the animals are just a gift to so many.”     

Lyon works as Outreach Coordinator for her family’s ranch, The Lyon Ranch, located in Sonoma County. Lyon also works on the ranch as an exotic animal trainer, runs the family therapy program, and helps out with many of the day-to-day operations of the ranch that has been rescuing and retraining neglected and abused animals for over 20 years.  

“Animals have a way of accepting people without qualification. Animals don’t mind how someone looks or speaks. An animal’s acceptance is non-judgmental, forgiving, and uncomplicated,” reads The Lyon Ranch website. 

Lyon Ranch’s therapy program takes their animals into nursing homes, hospitals, hospice facilities, and adult daycare centers to help provide patients with both emotional and physical comfort. 

“Overall, the idea of just soothing as a therapy is a common misconception, especially when it comes to our focus group of Alzheimer’s and dementia patients, where the benefits of soothing don’t necessarily outweigh the benefits of stimulation, especially safe stimulation”, said Lyon, “And since animals are an interesting and universal constant, taking an animal into a situation with someone who had dementia or Alzheimer’s is fascinating because they are still interested in the world regardless of whether or not you can immediately see it.” 

Ruotolo is a high school special education teacher born with bilateral hearing loss who realized the need for a hearing dog back in 2017 after the first Sonoma County fires. Ruotolo was matched with Canine Companions Hearing Dog, Sierra, in 2019 just before the shelter in place and the two have been together ever since. 

When asked on how her life has transitioned over the last couple after having gotten her first pet, Ruotolo responded, “I’m sure that a lot of animal lovers would understand that it’s immeasurable, I mean I feel like my heart is full and just that constant unconditional love and companionship, and she makes me laugh and smile every day and I see her do the same for others and she’s just such a joy.”